White County SWCD continues work with Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program

The White County SWCD, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and The Nature Conservancy continue to partner to promote a Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) project along the Wabash River.

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By Special to The Times

The Carmi Times - Carmi, IL

By Special to The Times

Posted Feb. 23, 2013 at 10:00 AM

By Special to The Times

Posted Feb. 23, 2013 at 10:00 AM

The White County SWCD, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and The Nature Conservancy continue to partner to promote a Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) project along the Wabash River.

The WREP is a special project in which NRCS and local conservation partners work with landowners to enroll acreage into 30 year or permanent easements and restore land to wetland conditions in a targeted area. Landowners with flood prone property in the Illinois counties of White, Gallatin, Wabash, Lawrence, Crawford and Clark are eligible to apply for enrollment. Of 1,525,270.2 total acres in these 6 counties, 420,944.9 acres or 27.6% are located in the 100 year floodplain. White County has 40.4% of its total acres located in the floodplain, the most of any county in Illinois.

Eligibility for the Wabash Corridor WREP Project is the same as for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). Under the WRP, land qualifies if it would have been considered a wetland area before it was converted to agricultural production.

Payments will be made as a one time lump-sum. If restoration work is done on a site, NRCS can pay for 100% of the costs. The Wabash River Corridor has seen thousands of acres enrolled into the program over the past 15 years.

Easements located along the Wabash River in Clark County join together with existing projects to create five miles of restored floodplains. An easement in Lawrence County located with a contiguous area of 453 acres in the Embarras River floodplain was visited by a breeding pair of migrating whooping cranes--one of the most endangered wetland-dependant species in North America. The floodplain that drew so much attention with the whooping cranes is located between the Wabash and Embarras Rivers. Contiguous wetlands offer significant benefits for wildlife, provide flood prevention downstream, and protect water quality._Importance of Floodplains_Over half of the floodplains in Illinois have been altered by levees, lock and dams, and stream channelization. The fertile soils make for good crop production, but more often they are flooded and no crop is harvested. It is expensive to replant or lose a crop for an entire growing year. The flood waters can also have a negative environmental effect by carrying debris and chemicals back into streams and rivers and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico.

Ecosystem benefits are just as important. Once restored, floodplains provide high quality habitat for many species of wildlife and plants, such as migratory birds, waterfowl and shorebirds, and other wetland-dependent wildlife species. We often take for granted the broader view of what floodplains give us and our communities when properly restored.

Flood Prevention and Water Quality- When floodplains fill and hold water from heavy rains, floodwaters are prevented from flowing downstream and causing damage to roads, communities and agricultural lands. Floodplains filter the water of nutrients and impurities and processes organic wastes before re-entering the ground water or other water bodies.

Page 2 of 2 - Community Enhancement - Floodplains provide open space, which can restore and enhance forest lands, create recreational opportunities, or offer simple enjoyment of their aesthetic beauty. Transforming flooded cropland into functional and scenic, value-added assets, communities can improve its quality of life.

Diverse Habitat - Floodplains are home for a variety of species which may not - or cannot - exist in any other habitat. Many federal and state listed endangered and threatened species live in these locations. Many invertebrates and insects found in floodplains provide food for migrating birds and mammals living there year round.

WREP, a component of the Wetlands Reserve Program, leverages assistance from NRCS' partners to provide financial and technical assistance to eligible landowners to protect, restore and enhance wetlands and improve wildlife habitat. Wetlands provide habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. Wetlands also improve water quality by filtering sediments and chemicals; reduce flooding; recharge groundwater; protect biological diversity; and provide opportunities for educational, scientific and limited recreational activities. The WREP is a program offered by USDA to return lands with flooding problems to their natural floodplain conditions. Please contact your local NRCS District Conservationist or Soil and Water Conservation District staff in the counties of White, Gallatin, Wabash, Lawrence, Clark or Crawford to apply or for further information about wetland restoration projects in the Wabash River Corridor.

Staff of the White County Soil and Water Conservation District and NRCS can be contacted by stopping by the USDA Service Center or at 382-2213, ext. 3.